Innovation services for students
Founder School
Aalto Founder School brings entrepreneurship closer to all students at Aalto through monthly Founder Talks, a new minor studies programme, and a tailor-made Founder Sprint for the most driven...
University-led entrepreneurship initiatives
Student-led entrepreneurship initiatives
Among the dynamic and innovative entrepreneurial projects within the Aalto University student community are Startup Sauna, a co-working space for top entrepreneurs and the student organisation Aaltoes, which has played a key role in launching major non-profit organisations such as Slush and Junction.
Aaltoes is one of Europe’s largest student-run entrepreneurship societies, dedicated to fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem through events, programs, and networking opportunities. It plays a crucial role in launching significant projects and initiatives.
Startup Sauna is the world’s leading student-led entrepreneurship hub. Startup SaunaIt hosts key organizations such as Junction, DASH, Aaltoes, SILTA, and Ignite.
A spin-off from Aaltoes, Slush annually hosts the world’s leading startup event bringing together a curated crowd of European startups, world-class investors, and tech journalists. Slush stands by relevance over scale, bringing tangible value, and sharing actionable company-building advice. No fluff.
AaltoAI is Aalto University’s student-led community for those who want to understand, build and shape the future of artificial intelligence. We bring together students from every field through hackathons, hands-on projects, workshops, and opportunities to connect with researchers, founders, and industry.
MIMIR is a movement aimed at making the Nordics leaders in research commercialization, driven by students. It seeks to address complex challenges with science-based solutions, harnessing the enthusiasm of a younger generation eager to create impactful change and build a robust commercialization infrastructure.
Junction is recognized as the world's most respected hackathon, spanning various countries and culminating in a final event in Finland where over 1500 designers, hackers, and developers from around the globe gather. Known for fostering creativity, teamwork, and rapid prototyping in a dynamic environment, Junction holds a prestigious position in the hackathon community worldwide.
Kiuas is the leading startup accelerator in Finland with the vision to enable early-stage startup founders to successfully build companies that change the world for the better. This goal is achieved by providing founders with world-class support and resources to facilitate their growth.
DASH Hackathon is Europe's premier event for applying design thinking to solve real-world business problems through multidisciplinary teamwork.
SILTA is a program that takes top founders from Finland to the SF Bay Area for three months to immerse them into the vibrant, lively culture of the SF Bay Area. The purpose of SILTA is to enable the founders to develop their company and vision in the can-do environment of Silicon Valley.
Ignite is a 10-week accelerator where first-time founders find their first customers and launch their businesses.
XSTRYV recruitment portal is designed for connecting young talented people who are looking to make an impact and get a boost to their career with startups hungry for fresh talent.
Wednesday is a student-driven community that empowers, inspires, and unites women who are interested or involved in entrepreneurship. we create opportunities to learn and get inspired by amplifying the voices of entrepreneurial-minded women, organizing community events, excursions, and get-togethers.
Innovation news
From ideas to impact: ‘Better forecasts need a new kind of data’
Aalto’s student innovation grant gave the company’s founders resources to develop and test their concept.
From ideas to impact: ‘I found a real problem, so I just jumped in’
Aalto’s student innovation grant helped the team buy components for their prototype.
Register now for Inventors in medtech, energy systems or resilient infrastructures
Three new innovation trainings for researchers are coming up next spring and registration is now open!
Aalto ranks third in Europe for university spinout funding – this is the recipe for creating new industries
Aalto University's spinout companies, including quantum company IQM and satellite company ICEYE, have raised approximately EUR 2.6 billion in funding since 2010.Innovation events
Doing qualitative research in conversation with AI, Nov 10, 2026
How to responsibly do qualitative research with AI tools? With Dr. Emrecan Gulay
NFDI4ING RDM tools for engineers, Nov 10, 2026
NFDI4ING offers domain-specific tools, AI-assisted platforms, and training to help engineers manage, share, and publish data.
Research data management for ARTS researchers, Nov 11, 2026
Learn about research data management (RDM) in visual arts.